James Gallagher

going with the flow

Published on March 28, 2020

There are occasions where I go back and revise a sentence, because it does not make sense or because it adds no value to the piece I am writing.

I do not conduct heavy edits though, and I do not worry too much about producing the best pieces of writing.

This is my place to experiment, and experimentation is all about trying as many new things as you can. When I have an idea that I want to explore in more depth, I’ll write about it. I may realize that my thoughts on the topic are not fully fleshed-out, but that is fine. What matters is that I was able to put pen-to-paper -- metaphorically, in most cases -- and write out the thoughts on my mind.

The mind is a crazy place. I’m almost always thinking about two or more things at once. Or I may have another idea on the backburner which is just waiting to take the front place in my mind. This is how my mind works. It’s not often that everything is clear cut and perfect.

I consider writing to be the conduit through which I think about these ideas. I give my mind the opportunity to focus on one specific idea, even if it is only for a few minutes, and write about what my mind has to say. The end result may not be perfect, but neither are my thoughts.

This is why I expect some of my blog posts to include incomplete thoughts. I am writing every day to think, and my thoughts are rarely complete on a topic. Even when I consider my thoughts to be “complete,” there is always something else for me to learn, or a new perspective for me to entertain that I didn’t know existed.

I can accept this because I am writing not to win an award, but to achieve mental clarity. If I write out 200 words in the afternoon about a topic I am thinking about, my mind is free to start thinking about something else.

My mind may also decide to think about the topic from a new perspective, because it is no longer burdened with trying to commit every thought I have to memory. All my most important thoughts are on paper, ready if I want to read or revise them.

This is part of my writing process. I go with the flow and see what comes out. Sometimes I will be able to write an excellent blog post, and on other days my writing may need some work. For me, though, what matters is that I am writing every day, and that I am building a habit. If a thought is incomplete, I can accept that. There’s always tomorrow for me to update my thoughts with the realizations I have after writing a blog post.